ნორვეგია Section for Cultural Heritage, Akershus County Council

30.10.2017

CULTURAL OPERATOR(S)

Name

Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage in Kraljevo

Short description

Section for Cultural Heritage, Akershus County Council have the regional responsibility to maintain and preserve cultural heritage in Akershus County. We are 25 co-workers, who covers the topics of zone planning and archaeological surveys, architectural heritage, The Pilgrims Way and historical trails, information-signs and maintenance of cultural heritage sites, and communication to the public

We see clear remnants from the historical interaction with the Germans and the Dutch in the archaeological and historical material in Son in Eastern Norway, as well as in our immaterial heritage as in language and phrases. Identity-markers as we today interpret as “typical Norwegian” are actually a result of interaction by Dutch traders and import of German goods going back to the Middle Ages. To find out how this interaction with Norway have affected German and Dutch cultural heritage and in which capacity, we need a European collaborative approach to access their collections and expertise.

The project proposed aims at reinforcing a sense of belonging to a common European space, by showcasing how cooperation and trade routes have affected cultural identity in three countries, and beyond. We will challenge the concept ”Typical Norwegian – or Typical Dutch” etc., in keeping with the priorities of The European Year for Cultural Heritage 2018.

A key-element in the project will be to communicate the results/findings to the general public. We suggest two possible angles:

1. Physical – for example an exhibition that can be presented to the public in the three countries.

2. Digital – for example a website or a mobile application.

We will work together with our partners to develop innovative and efficient methods for reaching and engaging our audiences.

PARTNERS SEARCHED

Countries

Germany and the Netherlands

Profile

We seek relevant members from the museum- or university-sector and others in the cultural heritage field in the Netherlands and Germany (preferably the Rhine-area).

OTHER

Communicating our cultural heritage to the public is an important part of our heritage agenda. By working together with outside-partners, we have acquired a diverse experience in different ways of presenting our history – for example exhibitions. A special project we manage is the «Archaeologist for a Day», where schoolchildren in the 4th grade get to excavate with real archaeologists from Akershus County Council. The project is part of the national education program «The Cultural Rucksak» and has been a big success since we started in 2007. Every year 600 schoolchildren from the Follo-region get acquainted with their local heritage as they excavate goods from16th – 18th century, and get to know stories about how the Dutch sailors traded German goods in exchange for timber in the Son-area. Read more: http://www.dksakershus.no/produksjon/37225